Hasta La Gadget!

A study done by the Dr. Michael Sivak, the director at the Sustainable Worldwide Transportation in the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), discovered that while fuel economy has improved greatly from 1970-2010, the improvement is greatly undercut due to the amount of people who drive more often and with less passengers in their cars. The study showed that the fuel economy for the entire fleet of light duty vehicles improved by 40%, from 13 mpg to 21.6 mpg, but the vehicle load (number of occupants) decreased from 1.9 persons per vehicle to about 1.38 persons.

Because of the decrease in carpooling, Sivak discovered that the fuel economy for the fleet of light duty vehicles has only increased by 17%. Sivak also discovered that people travel more often thanks to improved fuel economy in vehicles. This is due to the rebound effect. To determine the nominal reduction of fuel consumption for a vehicle, you have to take the % increase of fuel economy and subtract 10% due to the rebound effect. An example would be a 20% increase in fuel economy results in an 18% reduction of fuel consumption.

Sivak also notes that it takes a long time for changes in the fuel economy to apply to the entire fleet of light duty vehicles, so an 18% reduction in fuel consumption would only result in 1% reduction of fuel used by the entire fleet. This brought up a discussion between researchers about whether or not there should be an increase on fuel tax to reduce the amount of vehicular distance traveled.

Another way to improve the fuel economy is if people carpooled more often. The vehicle distance traveled has increased by 155% from 1970-2010. If the vehicle load is increased by 20%, from 1.38 persons per vehicle to 1.66 persons per vehicle, the distance traveled would decrease by 15%, and while there would be a 1% decrease in fuel economy (due to the heavy load), there would be a 14% decrease in fuel consumption.

The amount of fuel used between 1970-2010 has increased by 53%, from 303 billion liters to 463 billion liters. As vehicles become more fuel efficient, people want to drive more often. There’s also the inconvenience factor some see while carpooling. Like the LA Times put it, “People are driving alone because they still ‘want the convenience of driving by themselves. They are not eager to drive an extra mile to pick up a friend.’”

[via Green Car Congress]

People carpool less and drive more due to improved fuel economy is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Tesla had made statements before about repaying its loan to the Department of Energy ahead of schedule, and that it plans on forgoing help from the government in the future in order to thrive as a stand-alone company. Tesla has now stated that it has changed its loan’s terms of agreement, and it expects to pay off the entire loan by 2017. That 5 years ahead of the anticipated December 2022 repayment target.

Tesla first acquired the loan 10 years ago. The U.S Department of Energy granted Tesla $465 million to develop its electric cars. The loan agreement Tesla had with the Department of Energy stated that if it didn’t pay off its loans by 2018, the government would be able to purchase 3 million of Tesla shares at a discounted price. Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer, Deepak Ahuja, stated, ” The terms of the original loan had a very good incentive for us to pay off the loan early.”

With the new amendment to the loan agreement, they will be able to avoid the “vesting of that warrant.” Any cash that Tesla makes that is above their $200 million threshold will be used to repay their loans. Ahuja also stated that if there is any balance remaining by the end of 2017, the company will pay it all off as a “balloon payment.” Things are looking optimistic for Tesla that makes the company believe it will be able to painlessly finish paying off its loan.

Tesla is expected to sell 20,000 of its Model S sedans by the end of this year. Sales of Tesla’s Zero-Emission Vehicle credits reached $40.5 million in 2012, which is a phenomenal increase from the $2.7 million it made in 2011. Due to a California regulation, automakers have to produce a certain amount of electric/plug-in vehicles a year, and those who are unable to meet those demands can buy credits from companies like Tesla in order to meet their quota.

Beginning in 2015, Tesla will begin making accelerated payments on its loan. It plans on producing its next all-electric vehicle, the Model X, late next year, and it also plans on building around 15,000 electric vehicles each year. The company is doing extremely well financially, especially considering 2,650 Model S sedans sold last year, which go for around $50,000 – $100,000+ each after the $7,500 tax credit provided by the government.

[via Bloomberg]

Tesla will repay loan 5 years earlier than expected is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced the five vehicles awarded with its Top Safety Picks+ designation. The awards are based on each vehicle’s performance in crash tests, with the goal being to encourage safer vehicles. This has been successful, with the Institute stating that some automakers have made changes to their vehicles in order to perform better on the tests.

The five awarded vehicles are comprised of Honda‘s 2-door and 4-door Civic, Volvo’s XC60, Ford‘s Lincoln MKZ, and the Mazda6. All but the Mazda6 are 2013 models, with the Mazda6 being the 2014 model. The Institute’s crash test put a quarter of each vehicle’s front end into a 5-foot barrier at a speed of 40mph.

Other tests include rear, rollover, and side tests, as well as one designed to see how the car holds up when the front corner is crashed into a pole or car. The latter is known as the “small overlap test,” with vehicle’s being rated with either a “good” or “acceptable” rating, which is then factored into the ratings of the other tests.

Honda’s Civic stood out among the winners, being the first small car to be bestowed with the Top Safety Pick+ award. The car underwent “significant” changes and upgrades to its front end in order to improve its rating on the small overlap test. In addition, Volvo also made changes to score better on that test, updating its airbag algorithm so the side curtain airbag would be triggered by the impact.

[via Detroit News]

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announces Top Safety Picks+ is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Thanks to a remote starter glitch, Subaru is recalling 47,419 of its vehicles over an issue that results in the cars starting up by themselves. According to documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall affects some Legacy and Outback cars from 2010 through 2013, Impreza sedans from 2012 and 2013, and XV Crosstrek crossovers from 2013.

It turns out that if owners accidentally drop the remote starter key fob, it could trigger a glitch that starts the engine without any button on the fob being pressed. It’s said that the engine may run for up to 15 minutes, and could even continue to start and stop until the remote starter battery is dead or the vehicle runs out of gas.

The NHTSA documents mentioned no reports of any accidents or injuries from the glitch, but one of the biggest safety concerns with this issue is the chance of asphyxiation from carbon monoxide buildup if the vehicle is parked in an enclosed garage. It’s also said that all the vehicles affected have either automatic or continuously variable transmissions.

The recall is expected to begin by the end of April, and it only affects Subaru vehicles that are equipped with the remote starter accessory kits, meaning that OEM keyless entry fobs integrated on the vehicle key don’t apply. Subaru has said that the defect doesn’t pose a risk while driving, so the chances of getting an accident due to the glitch are extremely low.

[via Reuters]

Subaru recalls nearly 50,000 vehicles over self-starting issue is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Several car manufacturers have announce partnerships with Apple in order to put iOS and Siri integration into their in-car entertainment systems, and it looks like this is a thing that might actually take off as Apple is looking for more team members to work in the company’s division meant strictly for developing in-car software.

Apple is looking for a few fellows to work on in-car technology, including a software quality assurance manager, as well as a couple of people to work on “iOS Car Services.” Specifically, the manager would be responsible for “iPod/iPhone/iPad integration testing with car stereos,” something that the company is growing in, thanks to partnerships with car makers like Chevrolet, Hyundai, and Honda.

We actually got our hands on the Siri integration in the new Chevrolet Sonic a few months ago, and it allows drivers to control their iOS devices using steering wheel controls and the car’s entertainment system, allowing for hands-free operation of your iDevice. It’s a pretty cool concept that both Apple and car makers want to take advantage of.

The job listings suggest that Apple is looking to bolster its efforts on in-car integration with iOS and Siri, and it looks like we should be seeing more car manufacturers jump on board with the initiative. Just this week, Ferrari announced a partnership with Apple that would see the car maker put two iPad minis in the back seats of its FF Coupes.

[via AppleInsider]

Apple looking to boost in-car integration prowess with new job listing is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.